High School

What is it and how to make the most of it.

Shelly Landry

Lead Counselor, Minneapolis Public Schools

April 16, 2011

South High School

TopicsWhat is high school and why is it important?What do students and parents need to do during the high school years:

For students to be successful?For students to graduate on time?For students to prepare for college?

Who can help?What about time outside of school?

What is high school?

Vocabulary List(and other important terms

you should know)

Graduation RequirementsCreditCredit Recovery / ALCGPAMy Life PlanDual Credit OpportunitiesEntrance Requirements

Why is high school important?

Being successful in high school is the first step to achieve many future goals!

Everything done during high school DOES matter

Credits and GPA are important measurements of a student’s successful and future opportunities and we all need to know about them

So what do students need to do graduate???

Students must pass classes and earn CREDITS.Students need a minimum of 64.5 CREDITS to Graduate.Students MUST meet the state & district standards embedded in required courses.Failing a required course MUST be made up in order to graduate.Students MUST pass the state graduation tests in English/Language Arts, Writing & Math.

Student MUST complete a My Life Plan.

Graduation Requirements, continued.

Students are also required to pass the following Graduation Required Assessments (GRAD) for a Diploma:

Tests When Given

Passing Score

GRAD Test of Written Composition Grade 9 3 or above out of 6

GRAD/Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment II (MCA II)-Reading

Grade 10 Determined by the state annually

GRAD/Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment II (MCA II)- Math

Grade 11 Determined by the state annually

In addition to these requirements students will also be exposed to curriculum in career & life planning through the Minneapolis Public Schools’ “My Life Plan”.

Courses

Courses are the classes or subjects that are taken to earn credit toward graduation.

Core Courses

Required Courses

Elective Courses

So what are the required courses??

English 4 YearsSocial Studies 4 YearsMath 3 Years (Minimum)Science 3 Years (Minimum)Physical-Ed 1 YearHealth 1 YearFine Art 1 Year

Students cannot FAIL ANY of these courses

Specific Course Requirements

Social StudiesGeographyWorld HistoryUS HistoryGovernment & CitizenshipEconomics

MathematicsAlgebraGeometryAlgebra 2 or Statistics & Probability

ScienceBiologyChemistry & Physics

What is credit? Why is it important?

Points representing the work completed by a student in a classYou need to earn a certain number of credits to prove that you completed all the work to receive a high school diploma

Credits, continued.

Credits are earned when a class is passed. Your school district or school determines the number of credits each class is worth and how many credits are needed for graduation. Credits are earned for grades of A, B, C, D, CR (credit), or P (pass).Zero credits are earned for a grade of F and that zero is counted as part of your grade point average or GPA. F, NC (no credit), or I (incomplete) grades must be made up if the class is required for graduation.Credits in required classes must be made up. Talk to your school counselor about credit make up options including:

After school credit make up classesSummer schoolOnline

EXAMPLE: ENGLISH 9

How many credits can you earn in a year?

0.75 credits/quarter for each class0.75 x 6 classes = 4.5 credits total per quarter4.5 x 4 quarters = 18 credits by the end of the freshman year

4.5

4.5

4.5

4.5

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Qtr 4

Qtr 3

Qtr 2Qtr 1

What is a transcript?

A transcript is an official record of coursework, credits, and gradesTranscripts are updated after each marking periodCredits may differ depending on the schools or programsColleges require an official transcript to determine acceptance and a final transcript to verify graduation

Transcript QuizA Transcript is a record of:

a) Attendanceb) Test Scoresc) Grades, credits, and courses taken

Class of 2015 graduation requirements include all of the following except:

a) 4 years of social studiesb) 2 years of a world languagec) 1 year of fine arts

Colleges encourage students to:a) Take it easy their senior yearb) Take challenging coursesc) Take only classes they like

Transcript Quiz (continued)

Transcripts include all the following except:a) Teacher namesb) Gradesc) Creditsd) Course Titles

To graduate in 2011, students need a minimum of:a) 600 creditsb) 63.4 creditsc) 60 creditsd) 64.5 credits

A transcript:a) Is a permanent document.b) Can change any time a student or parent wants it to.c) Will never be used for colleges or scholarships.

GPA, RANK, % and CREDITS

• Rank An individual student compared to all students in your class

• GPA Number value assigned to a student based upon grades and credits

• Percent An individual student out of every 100 students

• Credits .75 for each class passed per

quarter; 1.5 per semester

What is a GPA?

Grade Point Average (GPA) is the total sum of the value of each grade earned divided by the total number of classes taken.Each class is assigned a grade (A – F).Each grade is worth points (4 – 0).Add up all your points and divide by the number of classes = GPA.CR/NC grades do not affect your GPA.

A = 4.00A- = 3.67B+= 3.33B = 3.00B- = 2.67C+= 2.33C = 2.00C- = 1.67D+= 1.33D = 1.00D- = 0.67F = 0.00

GPA Computation Example

1st Quarter 2nd Quarter

GRADE PointsA 4.00B- 2.67C+ 2.33A 4.00A- 3.67C- 1.67Total = 18.34

GPA = 18.34 Points / 6 classes

3.057

GRADE PointsA 4.00C 2.00C- 1.67D+ 1.33D 1.00F 0.00Total = 10.00

GPA = 10.00 Points / 6 classes

1.667

Semester GPA=2.362

Why is a Student’s GPA important?

Used as a criterion for athletics participation, scholarships, and college entrance and college prep programsGPA is important from start – It’s cumulative

CASE STUDY #1

Chris is a 11th grade student. In his 9th and 10th grade years, he was not taking school seriously and skipped whenever he did not feel like coming to school. Although he understood information given in classes, he had never got a good grade because he rarely turned in his work. Actually, he failed several classes last two years. He now has 18 credits. Now he wants to be a computer programmer and realized the importance of school. He comes to school everyday and turns in all the home work so far this semester. Can he graduate on time if he passes all the classes from now on?

CASE STUDY #1

No.

He has to take After School Program and/or summer classes to pass graduation requirement classes he has failed.

CASE STUDY #2

Maria is a senior this year. She studies and turns in work for classes she likes, but she doesn’t for classes or teachers she dislikes. For this reason, she passed all classes, but Math and PE. She will have more than 64.5 credits by the end of this school year, can she graduate on time?

CASE STUDY #2

No.

Even if you have enough number of credits, you cannot obtain a high school diploma until you complete all of the graduation requirements

What can a student do now so he/she will not be a

“case study”!Pass all classes

AttendanceClass work/Home workAsk questionsBe organizedBehaviors

Make up credits NOW if neededAfter School Program (ALC)Summer SchoolMPS On-Line

Students should make an appointment with your counselor at least 1 time each grading

period!!

• Academic Planning

• Personal/Social Needs

• Career/Post-Secondary Plan

• Our job is to work with students and their families to get students OUT of high school in 4 years with a plan……………

• 2 yr, 4yr, tech, private career, military, or work………..but students have a PLAN!!

More tips for Students!

Strive to ImproveSet GoalsStudy HardTake the Right ClassesAsk QuestionsGet InvolvedMake Good Choices

Now what??!!??

Why go to college?

GRADUATING FROM HIGH SCHOOL VS.

BEING PREPARED FOR COLLEGE

English – 4 yrsMath – 3 yrsScience – 3 yrsSocial Studies – 4 yrs

English – 4 yrsMath – 4 yrsScience – 4yrsSocial Studies – 4yrsWorld Language – 2 yrsExtra Curricular Activities

Minimum needed to graduate from HS

Recommended for College

COLLEGE ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

Minimum coursework: 4 years of English; 3 years of social studies, 3 years of math (through 3rd level), 3 years of science, 2 years of second language, 1 year of artsGPA and class rankCollege entrance exams (ACT or SAT)An essay may be requiredRecommendations

Primary Factors for Admission to College

Primary factors are the most important criteria post secondary institutions look at when considering a student for acceptance. They include:

Grades earned in the 5 core subjectsDifficulty level of the high school classes takenOverall GPAClass RankScore on standardized college entrance examsSchool attendanceGrade trends

What can students do to prepare academically for college?

Required CourseworkForeign Language CoursesChallenging Courses

Honors coursesAdvanced Placement (AP)International Baccalaureate (IB)College In the Schools (CIS)Career Tech Ed (CTE)

Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO)

College Fairs and Campus Visits

Take advantage of college fairs and campus visits

Explore different types of schools

Recommended Courses for Highly Selective Colleges

English—4 yearsAmerican LiteratureCompositionEnglish LiteratureWorld Literature

Mathematics—4 yearsAlgebra IAlgebra IICalculusGeometryPrecalculusTrigonometry

History & Geography—2-3 years

CivicsGeographyU.S. HistoryU.S. GovernmentWorld HistoryWorld Cultures

Laboratory Science—2-4 years

BiologyChemistryEarth SciencePhysics

Foreign Language—2-4 years

Visual & Performing Arts—1 year

ArtDanceDramaMusic

Challenging Electives—1-3 years

CommunicationsComputer ScienceEconomicsPsychologyStatistics

Standardized TestsEXPLORE (interest inventory and skills test)

Typically taken in 8th gradeRequired of all MPS students

PLAN (interest inventory and skills test)Typically taken in 10th gradeRequired of all MPS students

PSAT (Pre SAT)Typically taken in 11th gradeQualifying test for National Merit Scholarship

SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test)ACT (Academic College Test)

Preferred by most Minnesota colleges

For information on taking the tests, see your high school counselor.

What can students do outside of school to prepare for college?

Independent Reading & Study

Extracurricular Activities/Special Interests & Talents

Work Experience & Community Service

Creating a Good Place to StudyStudents needs a quiet and comfortable place to study. Here are

a few things you can do:

1. Find a quiet place with some privacy.

2. Set up a desk or large table with good light and place

reference books such as a dictionary on the desk or nearby.

3. Set aside a regular time every day for your studies.

Getting Involved

Encourage your child: “Don’t Just Sit There, Join Something!”Academic ClubsFine and Performing ArtsLeadership OpportunitiesAthletic ActivitiesSocial and Political Clubs

Check out your school’s AchieveMpls Career and College

CenterFour Year Colleges and UniversitiesTwo Year Community and Technical CollegesMilitaryRepresentatives from CollegesCareer MaterialsComputer Based College and Career SearchScholarship MaterialsJob Information

Who else can help?Career and College Center CoordinatorTRIO Programs: Upward Bound; Talent SearchAdmission PossibleProject SuccessParents, relatives, teachers, counselors……Get involved and take advantage of these resources!

Your child wants to go to college Your child wants to go to college and get a lot of scholarships…and get a lot of scholarships…

Well then…

Students must not get D’s or F’s

Students must take challenging classes

Students should strive to get A’s and B’s

And……Be well rounded

SCHOLARSHIP CRITERIA

Minimum GPA (usually 3.0)College prep courses (challenging)Good attendanceActivities & leadershipVolunteer activitiesRecommendationsResumeEssay

What are next steps??

Develop your own “My Life PLAN”….. 4 years in high school and 2 (or more) years after high school.Work with your child’s counselor to ensure you are taking the courses you need to complete your plan.Get hooked up with resources: Network and use people and take advantage of opportunities.

Help your child go for it!

Tell your child:• YOU CAN DO HIGH SCHOOL• YOU CAN BE SUCCESSFUL• YOU CAN HAVE OPPORTUNITIES

AFTER HIGH SCHOOL• IT’S OK TO GET GOOD GRADES• IF YOU GET STUCK…ASK FOR HELP• BALANCE YOUR TIME• STAY FOCUSED• And DON’T FORGET

TO HAVE FUN!!